While Mercedes-Benz will be highlighting the new E-Class and its trend-setting interior at the Detroit auto show, BMW will be going to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to flog a Vision Car to demonstrate what the interior and the user interface of the future might look like.
The rapid advance of networking between driver, vehicle and environment is becoming increasingly intensive and is facilitating new services.
BMW is promoting  AirTouch, a further development of gesture control seen in the 7 Series. AirTouch is said to empower the user with intuitive control of entertainment, navigation and communication functions using simple gestures made with a flat hand. AirTouch allows the display in a vehicle to be operated like a touchscreen without actually having to make contact with the surface.
Sensors record the hand movements in the area between the central console and the interior mirror. This enables drivers or passengers to change the focus on the surface of the large panorama display.
Simple confirmation selects the relevant menu item or activates an icon. Sensors on the instrument dashboard permit 3D control.
Gesture control is nothing new having been seen a year ago when BMW presented it at the CES. Now with AirTouch, the car maker is introducing three-dimensional control  through sensors installed in the area of the instrument dashboard which respond to hand movements.
AirTouch has another option to confirm an action. A concealed AirTouch button is located on the rim of the steering wheel. It is on the left and easy to reach with the thumb, and it lights up when a menu or icon can be activated. One tap activates the desired program or change a setting. The passenger also has a button like this positioned on the side sill in the door area. Passengers are therefore able to use one hand to navigate through the menu and the other hand to confirm inputs.
The AirTouch menu control reduces the number of steps needed to make a selection. For example, when activating the phone pad, the system automatically brings up contacts or call lists to the top select level so that a call can be made with just one further action.
AirTouch recognises which selection and control steps are required next and displays them in advance. This is said to allow the driver to focus on the road ahead or offers additional convenient control options when the vehicle is travelling in highly automated mode.
CES will take place from Jan 6-9, while the Detroit show is from Jan 11-24.